This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Implantable microscale neural probes are important tools for neuroscience. The capability of monitoring specific neuronal ensembles for long periods of time with great precision is a powerful tool in neuroscience research for linking low-level neuronal circuits to high-level brain function, such as learning, memory, and perception. On the clinical side, it also enables the development of closed-loop neurostimulation and neuroprosthetic systems using detailed neurophysiological signals for feedback. Beyond neural recording applications, such microelectrodes can enable new approaches for creating long-lasting, high-fidelity neural interfaces that would directly benefit neurostimulation applications.
Since the pioneering work of Strumisser in 1958 introducing microwire bundles for chronic neural recordings in hibernating squirrels, there has been an ongoing push to develop improved implantable microelectrode technologies. While various implantable probes have been investigated, the recording quality is not optimally high. Further, eventually the recordings degrade and ultimately fail over time with conventional implantable microelectrodes. The primary challenge in neural interface technologies today remains that of making reliable implantable devices for long-term, stable, high-fidelity spike recordings from selective neuronal ensembles.